Stereotypes:
I only have a few stereotypes about Mexico. First of all I heard not to drink the water down there. I’m not to worried about that though because most host family’s use tap water, but in all other places I don’t know about drinking there water. Another stereotype I have about Mexico is it’s really dirty and unsanitary. This might be true for some areas and not for others. Hopefully the region I’m staying in will be clean, if not oh well not a big deal to me really. A third and final stereotype would be that the girls are overly submissive to men there. I don’t know how true that is but that’s one stereotype I’ve heard.
Expectations:
I have many expectations for my time in Mérida. First at foremost I expect to arrive there safely. If I make it that far, which I pray I do, I expect to be greeted with open arms and excitement for my stay in Mexico. I expect to be treated fairly and with respect, and I will return to favor. I am hoping to learn a lot of Spanish and for my linguistics to improve. I’m hoping it’s relatively safe and for my body to stay intact with my head still on. I’m hoping to make new friends in my study abroad group as well as people in Mérida. I’m looking forward to my stay in Mexico and hoping to gain knowledge, a better understand of their culture, and to make new friendships wish will last through the years.
In Merida:
El miércoles yo fui a Dondé, una fábrica de galleta. Tomé una visita a través de la fábrica y aprendí acerca de la historia. Algunas partes de la fábrica olieron como gases y toxinas pero otras partes olieron deliciosas. Nuestro guía de turismo fue agradable y supo muchas cosas acerca de Dondé. La visita fue sólo una hora. Tuvimos que llevar un sombrero mentecato que yo no me gusto. Al fin ellos nos dieron una bolsa llenó de 20 bolsas diferentes de galletas. Lo mejor del viaje recibía una bolsa gratis de galletas. ¡Dondé es impresionante! ¡Dondé es el mejor!
After Merida:
Expectations:
All of my expectations about Mexico have been correct. When I arrived I was greeted with open arms by my mama y papa. They are wonderful people who treated me with respect, love, and care, as the same way I treated them. They treated me as one of there own and I will always consider them apart of my family. My Spanish has improved greaty since I have been here. I have learned many new words, good and bad. Also, my pronunciation has improved as well as my gramatical accuracy. Recently, I have even started having dreams in Spanish which has been an amazing, worthwhile experience. I have met so many great people and experienced incredible places all throught Merida as well as Mexico itself. Luckily I am still alive and was not involved in the drug war, hence the reason I still have a head. I made many, many goods friends who I now I will share the rest of my college life with, and hopefully beyond. I gained better knowledge of the language, culture, and people of Mexico and wouldn´t change it for the world. I had a great time and plan to return in the future.
Stereotypes:
My first few stereotypes about Mexico were the water, cleanliness, and women. Well the water turned out to be safe after all. All the families used purifed water so I was not harmed at all ha. The streets were really dirty which I had not expected, but thats alright. I have never seen so many stray pets in my life, it was a bit overwhelming and sad. I thought the women would be overly submissive and I was right. My mama always tells my papa what to do and he just obeys, and does it. I feel like mama should be saying ´´Good boy, now you can have a treat´´ Stereotypes are stereotypes wherever you go. They will always be apart of every culture.